Julius Malema, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, and Governor Peter Mbah used the NBA conference in Enugu to caution Africa against debt, corruption, and weak justice systems.
South African opposition leader, Julius Malema, has warned African nations against taking loans from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, describing them as a “debt trap” capable of mortgaging the continent’s future.
Speaking on Sunday at the opening of the 2025 Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Enugu, Malema said, “The debt trap of Africa to our foreign colonisers must be stopped, and that begins by regulating these loans that our leaders commit future generations to.”
He disclosed that South Africa’s parliament is considering a bill to ensure parliamentary approval and transparency before securing foreign loans. He also urged Nigeria and South Africa to strengthen ties and industrialise jointly, stressing, “Our salvation lies here, in Lagos and Johannesburg, in Abuja and Pretoria, in the hands of Africans who refuse to be divided.”
The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, warned that justice in Nigeria is “increasingly becoming a purchasable commodity,” with the poor suffering while the wealthy evade accountability.
Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to justice sector reform, calling the law “the conscience of the nation.”